I was just thinking about this yesterday...how about "Ultimate Road Trip Companion Discs"? Although driving can certainly make many people want to hear different music than, say partying, or hanging out on the back porch.

Good call Bearsville-Shameful...I know. "The Closing of the Winterland" and "Europe 72" were staring right at me on the top shelf, longingly, with those puppydog eyes...but I didn't grab them. I have a whole shelf of Dead and usually do grab one or two, just didn't this time. Usually grab the Allmans, too. And the Stones, too. And Elvis Costello, Etc., Etc.

I guess this is reason for an iPOD, as has been discussed elsewhere...but truthfully I REALLY enjoy the process of having to select the tunes before I go. It has become a night-before ritual of sorts. It makes me think about my mood, the nature of the trip, length of trip, destination, activity, etc.

Maybe it's just me...

So maybe this is a future post subject: "What's your top ten Road Trip discs"?

Which then begs follow up posts of:"Top ten party discs""Top ten front/back porch on a summer evening discs""Top ten Saturday/Sunday morning discs""Top ten get hope from work after a really long day and need to unwind discs"

I would think (and hope) that these lists would be quite different for any given individual...

Penner

PS: Next time I won't forget the Dead!

Logged

Three Larries and a Guild and an A&L...and electrics...and a mando

“Your lack of technique can be part of your style. The thing about style is that it’s more entertaining, more important and hopefully more intellectual than technique.” Kim Thayil (Soundgarden)

Which then begs follow up posts of:"Top ten party discs""Top ten front/back porch on a summer evening discs""Top ten Saturday/Sunday morning discs""Top ten get hope from work after a really long day and need to unwind discs"

I would think (and hope) that these lists would be quite different for any given individual...

Penner

PS: Next time I won't forget the Dead!

The last couple years I've been doing something entirely different: This summer I drove from Michigan to San Diego and back and I burned a boatload of NPR music shows to CR-RW for playback in the Suburban's CD player (about 19 mpg round trip - including a blast up Pike's Peak in CO).

Podcasts that I like for the road trips are:

All Songs ConsideredMPR MusicheadsWYEP's RPM showSound OpinionsCar TalkHidden KitchensA Way with WordsMars Hill Bible Church teaching seriesFolk Alley CastKUT Radio Without BordersKEXP Music that MattersKUSP Live at LunchKTGB BridgecastPandora podcastPaste Magazine Culture Club

etc.

I use CDRW, so that the next trip, I just burn over top of those. I've found some bands I really enjoy from listening to these different shows. Local radio in Detroit is well-known for being terrible for offering a chance to hear something different.

Just out of curiosity, I checked my iPod 160 to see how many albums I had on there. By compressing the tracks to MP3's using a VBR between 256 and 320 kbs, I have put about 1580 albums on there, plus a few hundred singles. All in my shirt pocket. Ain't technology grand (sometimes).

I agree! Aint no better than sitting out on the back deck on a summer evening with a cold one (along with my hot one beside me) and listening the perfect summer playlist (I hope I'm not starting a new thread "Great Summer Evening Playlists")

But I still miss the listening to that new record(vinyl) and reading through the liner notes, lyrics etc..

But I still miss the listening to that new record(vinyl) and reading through the liner notes, lyrics etc..

I miss holding that record jacket. In England there was a lot of variety in the kind of card (textured, glossy, etc) that was used. In England and Japan they always had better quality card than in the US which was that cheap greyish board that disintegrated pretty quickly.

But I still miss the listening to that new record(vinyl) and reading through the liner notes, lyrics etc..

Me, too. Especially LP's. The covers could be awesome. Some of the liner notes ran to multipage magazines, all in that great-for-art 12" format.

But try playing one on an airplane.

Believe me I still buy a bunch of CD's, but then I record them to the computer (lossless), compress 'em, and put 'em on my iPod. AT home I play the CD's, in my main AV room, or the computer hooked to a DAC, in my studio. On the road, however, whether it's a long trip or just a quick errand, I listen to the best radio station on the planet - my iPod.

Just out of curiosity, I checked my iPod 160 to see how many albums I had on there. By compressing the tracks to MP3's using a VBR between 256 and 320 kbs, I have put about 1580 albums on there, plus a few hundred singles. All in my shirt pocket. Ain't technology grand (sometimes).

I have a mixed tape I made before CD and I called it "goin down the road" and it was a mix of great music for the vacation road trips. Needless to say it started with goin down the road feeling bad / Chinacat Sunflower.

So guess what-- my wife just gave me an iPod Touch for my birthday. Can't put the dang thing down. I love it. But how do you do that VBR 320 kbs thing? Isn't the sound compromised?

To be honest, not noticably. I have an older 30GB ipod, and reduced music to 128kbs, which is fine for listening to in the car/at work. I tend to keep CDs for listening to at home, where sound quality is more important to me. I love the fact I can have 500 albums in the car and I can still fit the family in!! About 90% of my music listening time is in the car on the way to and back from work.

But how do you do that VBR 320 kbs thing? Isn't the sound compromised?

The sound is compromised, but not so that you'd notice on the go or even just sitting and listening. I noticed the difference when A/B'ing between MP3 compression and a lossless codec (I use Apple Lossless on iTunes) in my studio. There is a loss of depth and definition, but it is miniscule. I never feel the lack when I'm listening to the iPod. The fact that I can carry so much music around is way worth the tiny loss in quality. To put it in some kind of perspective the loss in quality incurred by MP3 encoding is way, WAY less than the loss incurred by broadcasting over the strongest FM station.

When I sit and listen to music on my main home rig I use CD's or an iPod loaded with Apple Lossless tracks. In my studio, I listen to tracks on iTunes (the program, not necessarily from the store) through my monitors, but on the road, or for parties, or any other time I put on the best radio station on the planet. My iPod - all music all the time.

I had that on vinyl but gave it away along with all my other 800 or so albums when I realized that I'd never get them all transferred to CD. Great record, great group.

Yeah, The first CD version of WFC was compromised. Didn't have all the tracks of the vinyl and the sound quality sucked. But the latest CD reissue (at least it was the latest when I bought it) has all the tracks and the sound quality is fantastic. I picked it up a few years back, put it in my car changer and it didn't come out for a loooong time. Great record, great group indeed.